


apricity

by anavkour



Series: hq!! x obscure words writing challenge [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Post-Timeskip, crossposted on tumblr, established relationships - Freeform, from a writing challenge ask prompt, kuroo's a little shit but kenma loves him anyway, rated t for one dick joke, winter shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:22:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28876389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anavkour/pseuds/anavkour
Summary: apricity - the warmth of the sun in the winter
Relationships: Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Series: hq!! x obscure words writing challenge [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2117694
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	apricity

“i can’t believe i let you talk me out here.”

“but kenmaaa, it’s _snowing_!”

“wow, i didn’t notice,” kenma glowers down at a clump of snowflakes slowly melting in his scarf. it’s not actually his scarf, just one he’d stolen from kuroo before being physically dragged out of their apartment. it smells like Axe and lavender fabric softener and a bit like the fancy cologne kuroo puts in the hollow of his throat before important events. kuroo himself is wearing a different scarf, and he looks way too cheery for the temperature.

“you’ve gotta go outside sometimes. you need sunlight.”

“the sun’s not even out.”

“yes it is!” kuroo gestures to a vague part of the sky, where there’s a dim patch of light through the cloud cover.

“where,” kenma deadpans. “it’s _cloudy_.”

“partly.”

“mostly.”

“it’s enough to be good for you,” kuroo elbows him. “the world-famous kodzuken needs his vitamin d and he’s going to get it one way or another.”

“you missed a golden opportunity for a joke there.”

“i figured you wouldn’t appreciate it so i refrained from being crude in public,” kuroo says loftily. kenma snorts. “but i can go back to being crude if you prefer.”

“i was just worried you were losing your comedic touch.”

“me? never,” kuroo scoffs. “in fact, i’ve learned a lot from watching fukunaga’s specials.”

“your sense of humour has gone from subpar to mediocre at best.”

“still an improvement,” kuroo sing-songs. kenma grumbles a dissent, though kuroo seems to take it as acquiescence and grins to himself for the rest of the walk to the park.

it’s early january, which means that despite it being the middle of the V-league season, Bokuto is in Tokyo to cheer on Fukurodani at Spring Nationals. And since Bokuto is in Tokyo, someone had the great idea to get the gang back together again. kenma wouldn’t mind this usually—he and akaashi are still friends and bokuto has become slightly more than tolerable after years of exposure—but usually they’re inside, where it’s warm, and where kenma can bury himself in as many blankets as he can while kuroo cooks and talks volleyball in the kitchen. this year, however, someone elected to meet in a park, outside, where it’s _cold_ and _cloudy_ and kenma is anaemic, dammit! this is not his weather. he tells kuroo this and gets a “you should eat your spinach.” in return.

when they get to the park, bokuto and akaashi are already there, sitting together on a bench. bokuto spots them first and leaps up, almost hitting akaashi in the face with his elbow as he waves frantically. kuroo returns the gesture with a much tamer wave. kenma refuses to take his hands out of his pockets.

“BRO LOOK I GOTTA SHOW YOU SOMETHING!” bokuto yells. he’s still waving his hands. kenma hears akaashi’s faint, “not so loud, koutarou,” and hmm. not bokuto-san anymore. he might have an idea of what’s going on now.

“alright, alright,” kuroo says amiably. “what’s–“

bokuto shoves his hand in kuroo’s face, and kenma spots the glint of a ring on his finger in the scattered light.

“whoa! dude!” kuroo beams. “seriously?” bokuto nods so enthusiastically kenma’s surprised his head doesn’t fall off. “congrats!”

“finally,” kenma looks over to akaashi, who shows him a complimentary ring. his cheeks are flushed, though it’s unclear if it’s from embarrassment or the cold. “when?”

“last night,” akaashi replies.

“i’m surprised bo kept it a secret this long,” kuroo teases.

“i was trying really really hard!” bokuto cries.

“seriously though, congrats, i know that’s a big step,” kuroo says. it is a big step, especially since bokuto’s in the public eye and this is a decision that could come back to haunt him. if they decide to share it publicly, that is, which is likely. “should we make a celebratory snowman?”

“oh _hell_ yeah!” bokuto pumps his fist. “i haven’t made one since high school!”

“i’ll supervise,” akaashi sticks his hands in his pockets, pulls on a pair of gloves.

“aw, c’mon, keiji!” bokuto gives akaashi puppy-eyes. “it’s _our_ celebratory snowman, you gotta help!”

akaashi caves much faster than kenma would expect, and then he’s rolling snowballs across the grass with kuroo and bokuto while kenma stands by the bench. he sits down, hissing as the cold of the metal seeps through his jeans.

he’s glad his friends are willing to let him sit off to the side and watch most times they do stuff together—though occasionally kuroo will put his foot down and kenma is forced to participate. it’s been this way since high school training camps:when kuroo and bokuto and akaashi would stay in the gym for extra practice, kenma sat by the door and waited for kuroo to tire out during his first year and then just walked himself to their sleeping room during his second. [third year was different, mostly because kuroo was gone and shouyou had gotten a lot better at wheedling kenma into setting for him]. they don’t push when they know he needs space, and he knows he’s welcome to jump in or out at any point. it’s nice. normally, kenma would feel socially charged-up enough to interact, but the cold is quickly sapping his energy.

he watches as kuroo and bokuto gather armfuls of snow for akaashi to sculpt into a snoman-esque shape, catches bits of conversation in the distance [“how’s the team been since i saw them last?” “great! shouyou and ‘tsumu’s new quick is INSANE.”]. he takes out his phone, mostly to play a game and distract himself from the chill, but also because bokuto and kuroo together leads to some picture-worthy moments—he has an entire folder of them and his favourite is still the one of kuroo stuck in a ceiling vent from a few years ago. but it’s too cold even for this—his hands are shaking so much that when he tries to put in his password, he can’t hit the right numbers. kenma scowls at the screen and tucks his legs closer to his body, trying to conserve heat. he eventually gets the right password, but it’s not like he’s going to be able to play anything successfully or take any not-blurry pictures like this, so he just checks the temperature [minus two celcius, _way_ too cold for january in tokyo] and puts his phone away.

he’s just about to announce he’s going home again and leave the others to their snowman shenanigans when the world starts lightening. he thinks it’s just his eyes and that he’s about to pass out [ _from the cold_ , he thinks bitterly, _and it’s all kuroo’s fault_ ] when he looks up and sees the last of the clouds passing over the bright blotch of sun behind them.

the sun spills over his face, and _oh_ , that’s actually really nice, a hint of warmth smoothed over the bite of the cold. he sits and drinks in the warmth for a moment, resting his head on his arms on the back of the park bench, watching a few leaves swirl in the breeze. it’s enough to quell the worst of the shivering.

huh. he might need sunlight more than he thinks.

“oi, kenma!”

kenma glances over to where kuroo’s standing, hands on his hips.

“sun,” he says, pointing to the sky. “see?”

“i didn’t notice,” kenma replies drily. kuroo laughs and flings a handful of snow in his direction. “you missed.”

kuroo grins back at him, and in a burst of childish mischief, kenma has an idea. once kuroo turns back to the snow-creature that bokuto’s attempting to add more slush to, kenma gathers up a handful of snow and packs it tightly in his hands. he meanders closer, trying to look as nonchalant as possible.

“finally deigning to join us, oh great kodzuken?” kuroo doesn’t turn around, mostly because he’s very carefully carving a face into the snow-creature with a stick. he’s even at a height kenma can reach. perfect.

“yeah,” he says, then shoves the handful of snow down the back of kuroo’s shirt and runs.

“KYANMA!”

[he doesn’t make it twenty feet before kuroo catches up and returns the favour by tackling him (gently) into a snowdrift. normally this would be grounds for kuroo to spend the night on the couch, but kenma can’t find it in him to care even when kuroo gives him a smug smirk before helping him out of the snow. and then kuroo drags him over to the snowman, and he starts helping akaashi mold the snowman’s hair into something resembling bokuto’s as bokuto and kuroo throw snow at each other, and it’s nice.

maybe the cold isn’t so bad after all.]

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! comments and kudos have a 100% chance of making my day
> 
> send me more asks for [this prompt](https://anavkour.tumblr.com/post/640794497727512576/writing-challenge-prompt-list) on [tumblr](https://anavkour.tumblr.com/)


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